Combined refrigerator-oven apparatus

ABSTRACT

A combined refrigerator-oven ( 20 ) includes an enclosed chamber ( 28 ) having a top wall ( 22 ), a bottom wall ( 24 ), and vertical side walls ( 26 ). The refrigerator-oven ( 20 ) further includes a heating unit ( 50 ) and a refrigeration unit ( 70 ). A controller ( 118 ) is in communication with the heating unit ( 50 ) and the refrigeration unit ( 70 ). When a cooling mode is selected, the controller ( 118 ) activates the refrigeration unit ( 70 ) to deliver cool air ( 62 ) into the enclosed chamber ( 28 ). When a heating mode is selected, the controller ( 118 ) activates the heating unit ( 50 ) to produce heat ( 66 ) in the enclosed chamber ( 28 ).

RELATED INVENTIONS

The present invention is a United States National Conversion of“Combined Refrigerator-Oven Apparatus”, PCT Application No.PCT/US02/08021, filed 12 Mar. 2002, which is a continuation of andclaims priority to “Combined Refrigerator-Oven Apparatus”, U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/823,631, filed on 31 Mar. 2001, now U.S. Pat.No. 6,497,276, which is incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of kitchen appliances. Morespecifically, the present invention relates to a combinedrefrigerator-oven apparatus for refrigerating and cooking food in thesame enclosed chamber.

BACKGROUND ART

Lifestyles are very busy, and many families are away from home duringlarge portions of the day for work, school, and other activities. As aconsequence, the preparation of the evening meal can be significantlydelayed until the cook returns home. Many families have extracurricularactivities in the evenings. Thus, a delay in the preparation of theevening meal can undesirably overlap into the time allotted for theseextracurricular activities. This problem is exacerbated if the familymember cooking the meal is postponed on his or her return from work orschool. This postponement causes the evening meal to be further delayed.

To meet such demanding schedules, many people replace the home-cookedevening meal with low nutritional value snacks, fast food, or by simplyskipping meals. This unhealthy replacement for the home-cooked mealcontributes to an increase in diet related disorders, such as obesity,heart disease, diabetes, and so forth. Accordingly, there is a need todecrease the preparation time for home-cooked meals following a returnfrom work or school to provide incentive for the preparation andconsumption of home-cooked meals, rather than snacks and fast food.

Microwave and convection ovens have typically been used to cook mealsquickly. Unfortunately, the preparation of a meal entails more thansimply cooking the food. In addition to cooking the meal, a cooktypically has to prepare the food in advance by cleaning it, cutting it,combining it with other ingredients, and so forth. This advancepreparation can be even more time consuming than cooking the food.Sometimes a cook may prepare a meal in advance and store it in therefrigerator until he or she gets home, at which time, the cook willplace the food in the oven to bake it. Unfortunately, the baking timecan still undesirably delay the time at which the meal may be eaten.

Yet another tactic that cooks use is to place frozen food on the counterto thaw before leaving for work. The thawed food is then cooked upontheir return home. Unfortunately, the food may thaw to room temperaturebefore anyone returns home. Thawed foods that reach room temperature,particularly meat products, can become unsafe due to bacterial growth.Hence, it is recommended that most foods should be thawed in therefrigerator, rather than on the countertop.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an advantage of the present invention that a combinedrefrigerator-oven is provided that permits the selective cooling andcooking of food.

Another advantage of the present invention is that a combinedrefrigerator-oven is provided that can be pre-programmed to activaterespective cooling and heating units of the refrigerator-oven.

Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the combinedrefrigerator-oven can be remotely controlled to activate the respectivecooling and heating units of the combined refrigerator-oven and tochange pre-programmed settings of the refrigerator-oven.

The above and other advantages of the present invention are carried outin one form by a combined refrigerator-oven apparatus. The combinedrefrigerator-oven includes an enclosed chamber having an airflow inletopening. A heating unit is positioned in the enclosed chamber, and arefrigeration unit is positioned outside of the enclosed chamber. Therefrigeration unit has a cool air duct coupled to the airflow inletopening. A controller is in communication with the heating unit and therefrigeration unit for selectively activating the refrigerator-ovenapparatus. When a cooling mode is selected, the controller activates therefrigeration unit to deliver cool air through the cool air duct to theenclosed chamber. When a heating mode is selected, the controlleractivates the heating unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present invention may be derived byreferring to the detailed description and claims when considered inconnection with the Figures, wherein like reference numbers refer tosimilar items throughout the Figures, and:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a combined refrigerator-oven inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the combined refrigerator-oven with adrawer slidably mounted below an enclosed chamber of therefrigerator-oven;

FIG. 3 shows a back view of the combined refrigerator-oven;

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of a refrigeration cycle performed by arefrigeration unit of the combined refrigerator-oven;

FIG. 5 shows a partial sectional side view of a gate assembly of therefrigerator-oven;

FIG. 6 shows a functional block diagram of the refrigerator-oven;

FIG. 7 shows a table of exemplary keypad codes;

FIG. 8 shows front view of an exemplary control panel of therefrigerator-oven; and

FIG. 9 shows an adapter kit for converting a conventional oven to acombined refrigerator-oven apparatus in an alternative embodiment of thepresent invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a combined refrigerator-oven 20 inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.Refrigerator-oven 20 is a direct replacement for a conventional stove.That is, refrigerator-oven 20 is generally box-shaped having a top wall22, a bottom wall 24, and vertical side walls 26 forming an enclosedchamber 28. Surface burners are mounted on an outer surface 32 of topwall 22. Refrigerator-oven 20 includes four control knobs 34 foradjusting the temperature of surface burners 30. In addition,refrigerator-oven 20 includes a control panel 36 having a display 38 andselectors 40 for manually controlling the cooling and heating ofenclosed chamber 28.

Refrigerator-oven 20 further includes a heat exchange vent 42 extendingbetween enclosed chamber 28 and outer surface 32 of top wall 22. Heatexchange vent 42 is selectively blocked by a motor driven heat exchangevent gate 44. Heat exchange vent gate 44 is shown in an open position toexpose heat exchange vent 42. However, heat exchange vent gate 44 ismovable, as represented by an arrow 46, to block heat exchange vent 42.

One of vertical side walls 26 is a hinged oven door 48. Oven door 48 isshown in an open position to expose enclosed chamber 28. A heating unit50 is positioned in enclosed chamber 28. In the exemplary embodimentshown, heating unit 50 is an electrical resistance heating elementmounted on an interior surface 52 of one of vertical side walls 26.However, in an alternative embodiment, heating unit 50 may be a gasburner (not shown), as known to those skilled in the art, mounted oninterior surface 52.

Only one electrical resistance heating element is shown in enclosedchamber 28. However, it should be readily apparent to those skilled inthe art that refrigerator-oven 20 may include a second electricalresistance heating element located on the inside top of enclosed chamber28 and typically used for broiling food.

An airflow inlet opening 54 and an airflow outlet opening 56 extendthrough bottom wall 24 of enclosed chamber 28. An airflow inlet gate 58removably blocks airflow inlet opening 54 (discussed below). Likewise,an airflow outlet gate 60 removably blocks airflow outlet opening 56(discussed below).

Refrigerator-oven 20 is configured to selectively cool and heat enclosedchamber 28 to preserve food in a cooled state for a finite amount oftime and then to cook food at a desired temperature for a finite amountof time. When refrigerator-oven 20 is in a cooling mode, heat exchangevent gate 44 is actuated to a closed position to block heat exchangevent 42. In addition, airflow inlet and outlet gates 58 and 60,respectively, are actuated to an open position to unblock airflow inletand airflow outlet openings 54 and 56, respectively. Thus, cool air,represented by an arrow 62 and produced by a refrigeration unit locatedoutside of enclosed chamber 28 (discussed below), is delivered throughairflow inlet opening 54 into enclosed chamber 28 and warmer air,represented by an arrow 64, is drawn out of enclosed chamber 28 throughairflow outlet opening 56.

Conversely, when refrigerator-oven 20 is in a heating mode, heatexchange vent gate 44 is actuated to an open position to unblock heatexchange vent 42. In addition, airflow inlet and outlet gates 58 and 60,respectively, are actuated to a closed position to block airflow inletand airflow outlet openings 54 and 56, respectively. Heat, representedby an arrow 66, is then produced by heating unit 50 to heat enclosedchamber 28.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of combined refrigerator-oven 20 with adrawer 68 slidably mounted below enclosed chamber 28. Drawer 68 replacesthe conventional drawer used for storage in a conventional stove. Drawer68 is configured to house components of a refrigeration unit 70 ofcombined refrigerator-oven 20 outside of enclosed chamber 28 and belowbottom wall 24 (FIG. 1).

Drawer 68 includes a partition 72 separating refrigeration unit 70 froma storage section 74 in drawer 68. As shown in FIG. 2, drawer 68 mayinclude a first drawer section 68′ for housing refrigeration unit 70 anda second drawer section 68″ for storage section 74. First and seconddrawer sections 68′ and 68″, respectively, may be separately slidemounted so that refrigeration unit 70 need not be exposed each timestorage section 74 is accessed. Alternatively, drawer 68 may be a singleunit with partition 72 simply separating first and second drawersections 68′ and 68″. In another alternative embodiment, a drawer frontof drawer 68 may extend across the entire front of refrigerator-oven 20,while only storage section 74, extending halfway across the front ofrefrigerator-oven 20, is outwardly slidable. In such a scenario, whendrawer 68 is closed, drawer 68 conceals a stationary mountedrefrigeration unit 70.

The components of refrigeration unit 70 located in drawer 68 include acompressor 76, an evaporator 78, an expansion valve 79, and a cool airduct 80 in communication with evaporator 78. An evaporator fan 82 isinterposed between cool air duct 80 and a cool air outlet 84 (see FIG.4) of evaporator 78. When drawer 68 is slid below enclosed chamber 28,cool air duct 80 is coupled to airflow inlet opening 54 (FIG. 1) so thatcool air 62 produced at evaporator 78 is drawn away from evaporator 78by evaporator fan 82, into cool air duct 80, and through airflow inletopening 54 (FIG. 1) to cool enclosed chamber 28 (FIG. 1).

A first solenoid element 86 and a second solenoid element 88 are mountedbelow enclosed chamber 28 (FIG. 1). First solenoid element 86 couples toairflow inlet gate 58 (FIG. 1) to move gate 58 between open and closedpositions. Likewise, second solenoid element 88 couples to airflowoutlet gate 60 to move gate 60 between open and closed positions, asdiscussed in greater detail below.

FIG. 3 shows a back view of the combined refrigerator-oven 20. Acondenser 90 of refrigeration unit 70 is mounted on an outer surface 92of one of vertical side walls 26. In particular, condenser 90 is mountedto the back one of vertical side walls 26 so that condenser 90 is notvisible when refrigerator-oven 20 is in place.

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of a refrigeration cycle performed byrefrigeration unit 70 of combined refrigerator-oven 20. Compressor 76includes a first inlet 94 and a first outlet 96. Likewise, condenser 90includes a second inlet 98, in fluid communication with first outlet 96,and a second outlet 100. Expansion valve 79 has a third inlet 102, influid communication with second outlet 100, and a third outlet 104. Andevaporator 78 has a fourth inlet 106, in fluid communication with thirdoutlet 104, and a fourth outlet 108. Thus, fourth inlet 106 ofevaporator 78 is in fluid communication with second outlet 100 ofcondenser 90 via expansion valve 79. Fourth outlet 108 of evaporator 78is in fluid communication with first inlet 94 of compressor 76.

Evaporator fan 82 is interposed between cool air duct 80 and a cool airoutlet 84 of evaporator 78. Evaporator 78 also includes a warm air inlet110 coupled to a warm air duct 112. When drawer 68 (FIG. 2) is slidbelow enclosed chamber 28 (FIG. 2), warm air duct 112 couples to airflowoutlet opening 56 (FIG. 1).

Refrigeration unit 70 performs a refrigeration cycle to withdraw heatfrom enclosed chamber 28 (FIG. 1) so that the temperature in enclosedchamber 28 will be lower than the ambient temperature of thesurroundings, i.e., the kitchen. Refrigeration unit 70 is a closed-loopsystem that uses a fluid, or refrigerant, to move heat from one place toanother.

In particular, cool, liquid refrigerant enters fourth inlet 106 ofevaporator 78. The refrigerant in evaporator 78 absorbs heat fromenclosed chamber 28 via warm air duct 112 and changes state from aliquid to a vapor. The vapor refrigerant exits evaporator 78 throughfourth outlet 108 and moves into compressor 76 through first inlet 94.Compressor 76 raises the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant sothat the refrigerant will move through refrigeration unit 70. Theincrease in pressure causes the refrigerant to flow out of first outlet96 of compressor 76 and into condenser 90 via second inlet 98.

Condenser 90 releases heat from the refrigerant to the outside air.Refrigeration unit 70 may include a condenser fan (not shown) forfacilitating the movement of heat away from condenser 90. The vaporrefrigerant exits from condenser 90 via second outlet 100 then reachesthird inlet 102 of expansion valve 79. At expansion valve 79, therefrigerant “flashes” through expansion valve 79 to reduce the pressureand cool the refrigerant to the point where it returns to a liquidstate. The cool, liquid refrigerant exits expansion valve 79 throughthird outlet 104 and re-enters evaporator 78 via fourth inlet 106. Uponentering evaporator 78, the liquid refrigerant absorbs heat from warmerair 64 drawn into evaporator 78 through warm air duct 112. As warmer air64 passes over evaporator 78, it gives up some of its heat to producecool air 62 which is re-circulated by evaporator fan 82 through cool airduct 80 and back into enclosed chamber 28. Arrows 113 illustrate theflow of refrigerant through refrigeration unit 70.

FIG. 5 shows a partial sectional side view of a gate assembly 114 ofrefrigerator-oven 20. Gate assembly 114 includes airflow inlet gate 58,first solenoid element 86, and an armature 116 coupling airflow inletgate 58 to a movable iron core (not shown) of first solenoid element 86.Gate assembly 114 is configured to mount below bottom wall 24 ofenclosed chamber 28 so that airflow inlet gate 58 removably blocksairflow inlet opening 54 extending through bottom wall 24. That is, whenfirst solenoid element 86 is energized, current passes through a coilsurrounding the iron core. The iron core is pulled into the center ofthe coil, or winding, of the solenoid in response to the current. As theiron core is pulled into the center of the winding, armature 116 andconsequently, airflow inlet gate 58 move to an open position to unblockairflow inlet opening 54 extending through bottom wall 24.

When first solenoid element 86 is de-energized, a spring (not shown)pulls the movable core away from the center of the winding. As a resultarmature 116 and airflow inlet gate 58 move to a closed position toblock airflow inlet opening 54. First solenoid element 86 is energizedwhen cooling of refrigerator-oven 20 (FIG. 1) is desired to allowpassage of cool air 62 into enclosed chamber 28 (FIG. 1). Additionally,first solenoid element 86 is de-energized when cooling ofrefrigerator-oven 20 (FIG. 1) is not desired.

Although gate assembly 114 is described in terms of airflow inlet gate58 and first solenoid element 86, it should be understood, thatrefrigerator-oven 20 includes another gate assembly 114 to selectivelyblock and unblock airflow outlet opening 56 (FIG. 1). Those skilled inthe art will recognize that other devices may be employed to actuatemovement of airflow inlet and outlet gates 58 and 60, respectively. Forexample, small motor assemblies may be used. Alternatively, a singlesolenoid or single motor with a dual connection point armature may beused that couples to both inlet and outlet gates 58 and 60 and movesthem concurrently.

FIG. 6 shows a functional block diagram of refrigerator-oven 20.Refrigerator-oven 20 includes a control unit 117 that manages all of thefunctions of refrigerator-oven 20. Control unit 117 includes controller118 with an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM)120 for control program storage and operation, display 38, user controls(selectors) 40, and a transceiver 122. Controller 118 is incommunication, via a communication bus 124, with each of heating unit50, refrigeration unit 70, a vent motor 126 controlling the movement ofheat exchange vent gate 44, first solenoid element 86 controlling themovement of airflow inlet gate 58, and second solenoid element 88controlling the movement of airflow outlet gate 60.

In operation, controller 118 executes the control program stored inmemory 120 to manage the multiple functions of refrigerator-oven 20.These functions include receiving operating commands and data from usercontrols 40; displaying cooking times and related information on display38; monitoring safety interlock switches, such as temperature sensors;sending control signals to power alternative current switch (ACS)elements (not shown), which in turn actuate gates 44, 58, and 60,activate heating unit 50, and activate refrigeration unit 70; manageinternal clock and timing functions; and respond to control requestsreceived at transceiver 122 submitted from remote locations.

Refrigerator-oven 20 further includes a communication router 128 inselective communication with transceiver 122 of control unit 117.Communication router 128 enables an individual at a remote location toselectively activate heating and refrigeration units 50 and 70,respectively, of the combined refrigerator-oven, to pre-select times andtemperatures in which heating and refrigeration units 50 and 70 are tooperate, and to change pre-programmed settings of the refrigerator-oven.

Communication router 128 generally includes a communication input 130, aprocessor 132 in communication with communication input 130, and aswitch 134 controllable by processor 132. Switch 134 has a switch input136 coupled to communication input 130. In addition, switch 134 has afirst switch output 138 coupled to a first communication output 140 ofcommunication router 128, and a second switch output 142 coupled to asecond communication output 144 of communication router 128.

Communication input 130 is configured for connection to an external link146, such as a telephone wall jack, for receiving a message 148 from aremote location. First communication output 140 of communication router128 is configured to interconnect with a telephone answering machine150, which is in turn interconnected with a telephone 152. Secondcommunication output 144 of communication router 128 interconnects withan input 154 of transceiver 122 of control unit 117.

Communication router 128 is a phone line manager that allows more thanone device, i.e., answering machine 150 and transceiver 122 having modemcapability, to utilize a single telephone line, i.e. external link 146.That is, communication router 128 manages incoming calls, i.e., message148, to route them to either answering machine 150 or transceiver 122.

Although the present invention is described in terms of a phone linemanager and interconnection with a telephone jack, it should beunderstood, that the present invention may be adapted for use with anInternet connection such as a high speed cable link, a radiocommunication link, and so forth.

When message 148 is received at communication input 130, processor 132automatically responds to the caller with call direction options. Theoptions may be, for example, “Press 1 to leave a message on theanswering machine or press 2 to access the refrigerator-oven controls.”

When processor 132 identifies message 148 as being a telephone call,i.e., detects a “1”, processor 132 enables switch 134 to route message148 from switch input 136 to first switch output 138 so that message 148is communicated from communication input 130 to answering machine 150for conventional telephone call answering processes.

Alternatively, when processor 132 identifies message 148 as being arefrigerator-oven control request, i.e., detects a “2”, processor 132enables switch 134 to route message 148 from switch input 136 to secondswitch output 142 so that message 148 is communicated from communicationinput 130 to transceiver 122 of control unit 117.

In response to receipt of message 148, transceiver 122 transmits arequest, in the form of a verbal message, to external link 146 for anaccess code. For example, the verbal message may recite “Please enteraccess code followed by a pound sign”. Transceiver 122 then waits for anauthorized access code.

When an access code is received in a return message at transceiver 122from external link 146, transceiver 122 compares the received accesscode with an authorized access code (CODE) 156 stored in a memoryelement of transceiver 122. If the received access code matchesauthorized access code 156, transceiver 122 enables communicationbetween second switch output 142 and controller 118. However, if theaccess code does not match authorized access code 156 or no access codeis received, transceiver 122 will authorize a disconnection of secondswitch output 142 and control unit 117.

Once communication between second switch output 142 and controller 118is enabled, a remote communication portion of the control program storedin memory 120 is executed by controller 118. Via a series of verbalprompts, the remote communication portion of the control programinstructs an individual calling from a remote location to programrefrigerator-oven 20. Control of refrigerator-oven 20 is programmedthrough keypad entry at the remote location. Keypad entry codes areexemplified in the following table:

FIG. 7 shows a table 157 of exemplary keypad codes. An exemplary verbalinstruction may be “Press #1 to select refrigerator functions. Press #2to select oven functions. Press #3 to select warmer functions. Press *0to exit this menu.” If, for example, “#1” is pressed on the telephonekeypad the next verbal instruction may be “Press #4 to set refrigeratortimer ON. Press #5 to set refrigerator timer OFF. Press *0 to exit thismenu.” The verbal instruction set would continue until a #0 is detectedindicating that the programming is complete.

FIG. 8 shows front view of control panel 36 of refrigerator-oven 20.While, remote control of refrigerator-oven 20 is possible thoughcommunication router 128, control panel 36 allows for local control ofrefrigerator-oven 20. In other words, user controls 40 provide anindividual with the capability to program refrigerator-oven 20 in eachof cooling, heating, and warming modes at pre-selected times andtemperatures.

User controls 40, or selectors, include a clock control button (CLK)158, a refrigerator program button (REFRIG PROG) 160, an oven programbutton (OVEN PROG) 162, a warmer program button (WARMER PROG) 164, andoven cleaning button (CLEAN) 166. Other user controls 40 include aCANCEL button 168, a SET button 170, a HIGHER button 172, and a LOWERbutton 174.

In an alternative embodiment, the control program in memory 120 ofcontroller 118 (FIG. 6) may include voice recognition software. Inaddition, the user controls may include a button and a microphone forenabling controller 118 to receive verbal instructions from the user. Inanother alternative embodiment, the selector, or user controls, may berealized using a touchscreen display.

Display 38 includes a current time field 176, a countdown timer field178, a refrigerator settings field 180, an oven settings field 182, anda warmer setting field 184. Display 38 may utilize a light emittingdiode (LED) technology, or a liquid crystal display (LCD) technology, oranother display technology for providing a user with visual cues.

In order to program refrigerator-oven locally, the user presses adesired button for a desired function. The user may optionally set thetimer functions using HIGHER button 172 and LOWER button 174.

Referring back to FIG. 6 in connection with FIG. 8, when a cooling modeis selected, either through remote control or local control, controller118 sends a control signal to vent motor 126 to actuate, or move, heatexchange vent gate 44 to a closed position to block heat exchange vent42 (FIG. 1). In addition, controller 118 sends control signals to eachof first and second solenoid elements 86 and 88, respectively, thatenergize elements 86 and 88 thereby actuating airflow inlet gate 58 andairflow outlet gate 60 to unblock airflow inlet and outlet openings 54and 56, respectively. Controller 118 further sends a control signal torefrigeration unit 70 that activates refrigeration unit 70 to delivercool air 62 (FIG. 1) to enclosed chamber 28 (FIG. 1). The cooling modeis convenient so that food prepared ahead of time can be stored and/orthawed safely in a cooled state until cooking time.

When a heating mode is selected, either through remote control or localcontrol, controller 118 sends a control signal to refrigeration unit 70deactivating refrigeration unit 70. Controller then sends a controlsignal to vent motor 126 to actuate, or move, heat exchange vent gate 44to an open position thereby unblocking heat exchange vent 42 to allowroom temperature heat into enclosed chamber 28. In addition, controller118 sends control signals to each of first and second solenoid elements86 and 88, respectively, that de-energize elements 86 and 88 toactuating airflow inlet gate 58 and airflow outlet gate 60 to blockairflow inlet and outlet openings 54 and 56, respectively. Controller118 further sends a control signal to heating unit 50 that activatesheating unit 50 to produce heat 66 (FIG. 1) at the pre-selectedtemperature, for example, 350° F., in enclosed chamber 28 (FIG. 1).

Another feature of refrigerator-oven 20 is the ability to programrefrigerator-oven 20 to operate in a warming mode. The warming mode maybe used following the heating mode to keep already cooked food warm. Thewarming mode is convenient for keeping the prepared warm if consumptionof the evening meal is somehow postponed. As such, when warming modefollows the heating mode, controller 118 sends a control signal toheating unit 50 that directs heating unit 50 to produce heat 66 atapproximately 175° F. When warming mode follows a cooling mode, or whenrefrigerator-oven has been powered off, controller 118 sends controlsignals, like those described in connection with the heating mode sothat heat exchange vent 42 is unblocked, and each of airflow inlet andoutlet openings 54 and 56 are blocked.

FIG. 9 shows an adapter kit 186 for converting a conventional oven to acombined refrigerator-oven apparatus in an alternative embodiment of thepresent invention. Refrigerator-oven 20 is described in terms of a newappliance to replace existing stoves. However, in the alternativeembodiment, adapter kit 186 includes the components and instructionsneed to convert a conventional, pre-existing oven into a combinedrefrigerator-oven apparatus, such as refrigerator-oven 20. It isanticipated that adapter kit 186 may be used by a trained technician toperform the conversion.

An exemplary conventional stove 188 is shown having a top wall 190, abottom wall 192, and vertical side walls 194 forming an enclosed cavity196. In addition, stove 188 includes a drawer 198. Adapter kit 186includes a replacement drawer, such as drawer 68 (FIG. 2) that includestwo gate assemblies 114 and refrigeration unit 70. During theconversion, drawer 198 is removed from stove 188 and replaced with adrawer similar to drawer 68 and the appropriate connections are made asdescribed in connection with FIG. 2. In addition, condenser 90 (FIG. 3)in installed on the back one of vertical side walls 194.

Adapter kit 186 also includes heat exchange vent gate 44 and vent motor126, control unit 117, and communication router 128. Heat exchange ventgate 44 and vent motor 126 are installed on top wall 190 of stove 188.The original control panel of stove 188 is removed and replaced bycontrol unit 117. In addition, communication router 128 is connected tothe telephone wall jack and lines are run to interconnect firstcommunication output 140 to answering machine 150 and to interconnectsecond communication output 144 to input 154 (FIG. 6) to transceiver 122of control unit 117.

In summary, the present invention teaches a combined refrigerator-ovenis provided that permits the selective cooling and cooking of food. Inparticular, refrigerator-oven includes separately controlled heating andrefrigeration units. Accordingly, foods prepared ahead of time, eitherfrozen or thawed, may be kept cool until it is time for the food to bebaked. In addition, the food can be kept warm until it is time for thefood to be consumed. The combined refrigerator-oven is pre-programmablelocally using user controls on the control panel to activate the heatingand refrigeration units at pre-selected times and temperatures. Inaddition, the combined refrigerator-oven includes a communication routerfor enabling remote control of the combined refrigerator-oven.

Although the preferred embodiments of the invention have beenillustrated and described in detail, it will be readily apparent tothose skilled in the art that various modifications may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope ofthe appended claims. For example, the heating element may be a microwaveor convection oven apparatus.

1. A combined refrigerator-oven apparatus (20) comprising: an enclosedchamber (28) having an airflow inlet opening (54); a heating unit (50)positioned in said enclosed chamber (28); a refrigeration unit (70)positioned outside of said enclosed chamber (28) and having a cool airduct (80) coupled to said airflow inlet opening (54); and a controller(118) in communication with said heating unit (50) and saidrefrigeration unit (70) for selectively activating saidrefrigerator-oven apparatus (20), wherein when a cooling mode isselected, said controller (118) activates said refrigeration unit (70)to deliver cool air (62) through said cool air duct (80) to saidenclosed chamber (28), and when a heating mode is selected, saidcontroller (118) activates said heating unit (50).
 2. A combinedrefrigerator-oven apparatus (20) as claimed in claim 1 furthercomprising means (58) for removably blocking said airflow inlet opening(54), said controller (118) being in communication with said removablyblocking means (58) to cause said removably blocking means (58) tounblock said airflow inlet opening (54) when said cooling mode isselected and to block said airflow inlet opening (54) when said heatingmode is selected.
 3. A combined refrigerator-oven apparatus (20) asclaimed in claim 1 wherein: said enclosed chamber (28) has an airflowoutlet opening (56); and said refrigeration unit (70) has a return airduct (112) coupled to said airflow outlet opening (56).
 4. A combinedrefrigerator-oven apparatus (20) as claimed in claim 3 furthercomprising an evaporator fan (82) interposed between said cool air duct(80) and said return air duct (112) for drawing said cool air (62) awayfrom said refrigeration unit (70) into said cool air duct (80) to coolsaid enclosed chamber (28).
 5. A combined refrigerator-oven apparatus(20) as claimed in claim 3 further comprising means (60) for removablyblocking said airflow outlet opening (56), said controller (118) beingin communication with said removably blocking means (60) to cause saidremovably blocking means (60) to unblock said airflow outlet opening(56) when said cooling mode is selected and to block said airflow outletopening (56) when said heating mode is selected.
 6. A combinedrefrigerator-oven apparatus (20) as claimed in claim 1 furthercomprising surface burners (30) mounted on top of said enclosed chamber(28).
 7. A combined refrigerator-oven apparatus (20) as claimed in claim1 wherein said heating unit (50) includes one of an electricalresistance beating element and a gas burner mounted on an interiorsurface (52) of said enclosed chamber (28).
 8. A combinedrefrigerator-oven apparatus (20) as claimed in claim 1 wherein saidenclosed chamber (28) has a heat exchange vent (42).
 9. A combinedrefrigerator-oven apparatus (20) as claimed in claim 8 furthercomprising means (44) for removably blocking said heat exchange vent(42), said controller (118) being in communication with said removablyblocking means (44) to cause said removably blocking means (44) to blocksaid heat exchange vent (42) when said cooling mode is selected and tounblock said heat exchange vent (42) when said heating mode is selected.10. A combined refrigerator-oven apparatus (20) as claimed in claim 1wherein said refrigeration unit (70) is mounted below a bottom wall (24)of said enclosed chamber (28).
 11. A combined refrigerator-ovenapparatus (20) as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a drawer (68)slidably mounted below said enclosed chamber (28) for housing saidrefrigeration unit (70).
 12. A combined refrigerator-oven apparatus (20)as claimed in claim 11 wherein said drawer (68) includes a partition(72) separating said refrigeration unit (70) from a storage section (74)in said drawer (69).
 13. A combined refrigerator-oven apparatus (20) asclaimed in claim 1 further comprising a selector (40) in communicationwith said controller (118) for pre-selecting said cooling and heatingmodes and for pre-selecting times and temperatures in which saidrefrigeration unit (70) and said heating unit (50) are to operate ineach of said cooling and heating modes.
 14. A combined refrigerator-ovenapparatus (20) as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a communicationrouter (128) in selective communication with said controller (118), saidcommunication router (128) being configured to enable an individual at aremote location to pre-select said cooling and heating modes and topre-select times and temperatures in which said refrigeration unit (70)and said heating unit (50) are to operate in each of said cooling andheating modes.
 15. A combined refrigerator-oven apparatus (20) asclaimed in claim 14 wherein said communication router (128) comprises: acommunication input (130) configured for connection to an external link(146) for receiving a message (148) from said remote location; aprocessor (132) in communication with said communication input, saidprocessor (132) identifying said message (148) as one of a telephonecall and a refrigerator-oven control request; a switch (134)controllable by said processor (132), said switch (134) having a switchinput (136) coupled to said communication input (130), a first switchoutput (138) in communication with a telephone answering machine (150),and a second switch output (142) in communication with said controller(118); wherein when said processor (132) identifies said message (148)as said telephone call, said processor (132) enables said switch (134)to route said message (148) from said communication input (130) to saidfirst switch output (138); and when said processor (132) identifies saidmessage (I 48) as said refrigerator-oven control request, said processor(132) enables said switch (134) to route said message (148) from saidcommunication input (130) to said second switch output (142).
 16. Acombined refrigerator-oven apparatus (20) as claimed in claim 15 furthercomprising a data receiver in communication with each of said secondswitch output (142) and said controller (118), said data receiverenabling communication between said second switch output (142) and saidcontroller (118) in response to a received authorized access code (156).17. A combined refrigerator-oven apparatus (20) comprising: an enclosedchamber (28) having an airflow inlet opening (54) and an airflow outletopening (56); surface burners (30) mounted on top of said enclosedchamber (28); a heating unit (50) positioned in said enclosed chamber(28), said heating unit (50) including one of an electrical resistanceheating element and a gas burner mounted on an interior surface (52) ofsaid enclosed chamber (28); a refrigeration unit (70) positioned outsideof said enclosed chamber (28), said refrigeration unit (70) including acool air duct (80) coupled to said airflow inlet opening (54) of saidenclosed chamber (28), and a return air duct (112) coupled to saidairflow outlet opening (56) of said enclosed chamber (28); and acontroller (118) in communication with said heating unit (50) and saidrefrigeration unit (70) for selectively activating saidrefrigerator-oven apparatus (20); wherein when a cooling mode isselected, said controller (118) activates said refrigeration unit (70)to deliver cool air through said cool air duct (80) to said enclosedchamber (28); and when a heating mode is selected, said controller (118)activates said heating unit (50).
 18. A combined refrigerator-ovenapparatus (20) as claimed in claim 17 further comprising an evaporatorfan (82) interposed between said cool air duct (80) and said return airduct (112) for drawing cool air away from said refrigeration unit (70)and into said cool air duct (80) to cool said enclosed chamber (28). 19.A combined refrigerator-oven apparatus (20) as claimed in claim 17wherein said refrigeration twit (70) is mounted below a bottom wall (24)of said enclosed chamber (28).
 20. A combined refrigerator-ovenapparatus (20) as claimed in claim 17 further comprising a communicationrouter (128) in selective communication with said controller (118), saidcommunication router (128) being configured to enable an individual at aremote location to pre-select said cooling and beating modes and topre-select times and temperatures in which said refrigeration unit (70)and said heating unit (50) are to operate in each of said cooling andheating modes.